I’ve never been much of a one for sightseeing, and
have always felt that you can gauge a country’s culture as much by its food as by its crumbling ruins. As a child, my parents would look on in wonder at
some ancient Greek temple whilst I would be quietly thinking to myself “what a tip….when can we get to the nearest bakery” for me to sample my 20th piece of Baklava that
week!

So I was rather taken by surprise at
my reaction on a recent trip toFlorence. As my girlfriend dragged
me to the Piazzale di Michelangelo that overlooks the city the view that unfolded left me literally dumbstruck.Florenceseen from this viewpoint is as overwhelming to the emotions as the Duomo is to the rest of the city. Even I cannot deny that a building
originally conceived in 1296, which took over 164 years to build and still stands in all its glory today, is mightily impressive. Down in the small city
streets, losing oneself in a daydream is easily done, especially with the aid of a refreshing Peach Bellini or two. Prosecco (the sparkling wine which is the base for a Bellini) is a Venetian product
not a Tuscan one but this hasn’t prevented the Florentines from adopting it with enthusiasm and it seems so aptly to suit the mood of the city. With an
unseasonal 35 degrees basting the piazzas, glasses of ice cold Prosecco gave strength to your ever flagging correspondent on his 6 hour sightseeing marathon.Florencedid give me a new perspective of the joys of ancient monuments,
nevertheless true to form my focus was always on where I might findFlorence’s finest
Gelateria!

Inspired by the Bellinis I have
conjured up the essence of these sublime tipples in the form of a dessert.

Prosecco Jelly, Peach Salad andOrangeBlossom Madeleines

Serves 4

425ml Prosecco
3.5 gelatine leaves
75g + 15g of sugar

4 ripe peaches

Squeeze of lime

Few finely shredded mint of basil
leaves

Optional

8 quality bought madeleines (or home made ones if
you have the time – sorry but there isn’t enough space for a recipe here)

Sprinkle ofOrangeBlossom Water

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Gently heat
(do not boil) 75ml of the Prosecco with 75g of the sugar. Add the softened gelatine leaves to the warm Prosecco mix and then transfer to a jug and pour
in the remaining Prosecco, mix very gently and pour into 4 Martini glasses. Place in the fridge to set.

Meanwhile remove the flesh from the peaches, remove
any skin, finely dice the flesh, sprinkle over the 15g sugar and a squeeze of lime. Leave in the fridge. If not using Madeleines you can add a drop or two of the orange blossom water to
taste.

If baking your own Madeleines add orange blossom
water to the mix, if using shop bought ones sprinkle with a little orange blossom water just before serving.

Remove the set jellies and peach dice
from the fridge 15-20mins before serving. Add freshly chopped basil/mint to the peach mix. Spoon the peach
mix evenly on top of the jellies. Place each Martini glass on a plate with 2 Madeleines per plate.